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The Love Shared Between Sisters-in-Law

The closeness of the sisters-in-law, something that’s, very hard to come by in eastern cultures, translated…

Back then, I’d had NO idea of what the taboos were, as my older brother got engaged and was married, I, the youngest sister-in-law was, right there. Thus, this paved the way.

It’s been, over three decades now, me, being the youngest daughter who couldn’t tell the difference between barley and rice, had been, a total trouble for my older brother and older sister-in-law. My sister-in-law was from Gangshan, Kaohsiung, like the weather there, she was, passionate and straightforward. Back then, because of work, my older brother rented a place for her family, and, they’d fallen in love because of it, and she’d, married him.

As my older sister-in-law married over, I’d just, started my teaching career, I’d become, too taxed, dealing with the group of small screaming monkey children, I’d collapsed after work every day, and gladly, my mother spoiled me, and my sister-in-law loved me, I got to not help out with the household chores at all.

look how close they are…not my photo.

Until I married, I’d lived closer to my mother’s house, and, I’d still loved, going back home to visit. My sister-in-law never showed any animosity, I’d often, conversed with her while she’d cooked, causing her, to “accidentally” make too much food, and naturally, I’d, packed up the extra foods home, sometimes, I got too busy and didn’t head home, and, she would call me up, to tell me to pick up what she’d cooked.

After my scary delivery, my older sister-in-law looked after me very closely, would bring me food and daily needs to the hospital every single day, and, as I returned home from the hospital, it was her and my mother, who’d helped me with the month-long recovery after birth; my sister-in-law would help bathe my baby, she was very careful and gentle, and so, my two sons were looked after by their aunt/nanny.

Often, when my sister-in-law went shopping, and knew that my sons loved the snacks, and would, ride out on her bicycle, to deliver us the sweetened tofu, sushi, or fried dumplings, as we headed up north again after visiting home, she’d packed up a huge case of lamb, fruits. On the third of the Chinese New Year one year, the three of us sisters, took along our family, and went with my eldest sister-in-law home to visit her family!

No matter how wonderful the mother-in-law, there are still, small frictions to be had, the daughters knew the mother’s tempers well enough, and, I’d always, stand with my sister-in-law, either that I’d tried consoling with my mother, or that I’d start, ranting with my sister-in-law, behind my mom’s back, and, my older sister-in-law and I, we’d, gotten along very well. My mother often said, that the three of us, daughters, paled by comparison, to our eldest sister-in-law.

getting along like sisters here, not my photo still…

I’d often invited my eldest sister-in-law to go shopping, and, I’d not, held back, buying her the smaller things, I’d often, invited her out to dine, then, we’d, taken up yoga, or gone hiking, to burn off what we’d consumed, and, we’d even gone abroad several times, and we’d never, fought.

My husband is in the technology industry, worked day and night all year long, when I was ill, it was always, my sister-in-law who came, to take care of me; and, my two sons, when they have something, they’d gone, to their aunt for help too, and my sister-in-law would always, do what she can, to help them out, I’d often told my sons, that they need to, love their aunt like they loved me as they get older.

There’s NO taboos of sisters-in-law between us! There’s just, that “knotted heart” that we have now, a short while from now, my niece will get married, I saw my sister-in-law successfully lost weight, I’d heard, that she will change into three sets of dresses on the day her daughter gets married, being tentative on the way I’d looked, I’d, objected, tattle on her, to her mother-in-law, how can, the eldest sister-in-law, be the life of the party!

This, is how wonderful the sisters-in-law are getting along, because the eldest sister-in-law was like a mother, and she’d loved her husband’s family like they were her own, and, that, is why, the writer got along so very well, with her eldest sister-in-law.